The DJI Phantom 4 quad copter drone has started shipping in some parts of the world and we now have a few samples of what the slow motion 1080p 120fps mode looks like. At first glance it looks to be ok with few artifacts controlled aliasing and moire and while compression seems severe, it is above 720p pixel quality which is encouraging.
There is an inherent softness as with many other 120fps modes used in similar action cameras like the GoPro Hero 4 or Sony Action Cam which spread the bit-rate of their maximum throughput and dice it to 120fps in the case of full HD.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The recently announced DJI Phantom 4 Drone is finally pushing obstacle avoidance technology to the point where you are no longer worried about hitting trees, people or god forbid birds other flying craft. There is technology here that just 5 years ago would have been extremely expensive, however don’t expect this self awareness of space to translate into a perfect set and forget technology for now.
There is a lot of improvement here and the mobile application lets you track subjects and paths with just touch and drag. There are things that drone makers like DJI are working behind the scenes to get obstacle avoidance and self awareness even further to a level where people and governments can relax about these craft being a danger to society. We are still not there but things will continue to improve along those lines.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Announced just last week the Sony PXW-Z150 gets a lot of right for the low end pro video market. It has 4k 4:2:0 as many in the competitive price range of $3,595 MSRP. It has 4:2:2 1080p 10 bit at 50mbit which is a good surprise and it seems to be carried to the also included 120fps full HD 1080p slow motion mode.
The sensor is of the stacked kind and it is 1″ sized, the same as the ones in the RX100 IV and RX10 II from Sony which are really good at slow motion for a low price. However those full specs are not carried through in the high frame rate mode or HFR. It maxes out at 120fps 1080p instead of 240fps on the RX series in the 1k range and the FS5 which is a tad more expensive than the Z150.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
What came as sort of a surprise and some mitigated anger to current recent owners of the camera, JVC announced that the JVC GY-LS300 4k, HD and SD capable camcorder will now be offered at $1,000 USD cheaper from a MSRP of $3,995 to $2,995. Furthermore it has a few new features added in a free firmware upgrade to current and new owners of the camera in April.
The update brings full HD 120fps capability to an already robust camera along with “JVC Log Gamma” recording mode. The camera offers a Micro 4/3 mount for easy use of different lens mounts including Canon and Nikkor lenses which is a big strength of this setup. Hundreds of adapted lenses can be used from almost any manufacturer. The JVC Log mode is supposed to increase dynamic range by 800%. We find that claim a little on the superlative side and probably will bring 2-3 real stops improvement in DR.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Sometimes the best available slow motion camera is a professional one that is a used piece of gear that is sold for much much less than the original price tag.
We usually steer clear away from these cameras for the enormous prices unless we find huge deals; these still might be too expensive for the average Joe but if you have the required capital and absolutely need a serious slow motion camera on a discount now keep reading:→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
